What a band, what a night!  Last night Prophets of Rage celebrated the release of their debut album at the Apollo Theater.  The self-titled disc will be unleashed on Friday.  The video above is the band’s official video for Radical Eyes directed & edited by D.J. Sing.  Before the pictures I snapped, take a peek at this setlist of doom chock full o RATM, PE, and Cypress faves and an Audioslave track (Like A Slave) to boot!  The new material sounded great but it was more a night to celebrate the legacies of Tom Morello, Tim Commerford , Brad Wilk, DJ Lord, Chuck D, and B-Real than to go deep on the fresh disc.

Prophets of Rage – Public Enemy
Unfuck The World – Prophets of Rage
Testify – Rage Against The Machine
Take the Power Back – Rage Against The Machine
Living on the 110 – Prophets of Rage
Hail to the Chief –Prophets of Rage

Guerrilla Radio –Rage Against The Machine

(Rock) Superstar – Cypress Hill
Fight the Power – Public Enemy
Hand on the Pump/Cant Truss It/Insane in the Brain/Bring the Noise/I Aint Going Out Like That – Cypress Hill/Public Enemy/Cypress Hll/Public Enemy Medley
Sleep Now in the Fire –Rage Against The Machine

Like a Stone – Audioslave 
Radical Eyes –Prophets of Rage

Know Your Enemy – Rage Against The Machine
Strength in Numbers – Prophets of Rage
Bullet in the Head – Rage Against The Machine

How I Could Just Kill a Man – Cypress Hill, also recorded by Rage Against The Machine on Renegades
Bulls on Parade –Rage Against The Machine

Killing in the Name – Rage Against The Machine

The show was a sort of homecoming for Tom Morello who was born in Harlem and featured Living Colour, who released their own new album Shade, opening up the festivities.  Living Colour and Public Enemy were both included in recent 10 Essential New York Artists post.

The News: Chuck D and DJ Lord of PE will perform at the Apollo on Tuesday, September 12th as members of Prophets of Rage with support from Living Colour. 

There’s no one who is more important from what’s come to be known as the golden age of hip hop than Public Enemy.  Last Tuesday evening Betsy Head Park in Brownsville was the place to be as Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and Professor Grif rocked the mics and treated the Brooklyn neighborhood to a free concert as part of the Summerstage series.  On this day, June 28th, in 1988 – 28 years ago, PE released It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.  That album’s Don’t Believe The Hype and Bring The Noise figured in the setlist.  The former read like a manifesto for the kind of perceptive street reporting that’s at the root of the group’s vitality.  The latter, with its Yoko Ono and Anthrax references along with ones to Run DMC, LL Cool J, and Eric B, suggested the crew’s omnivorous musical appetites and sense of context and continuum.

Delivering overtly political social commentary on record, as genius as it may be – (911 Is A Joke from 1989’s Fear Of A Black Planet was also performed) – doesn’t guarantee an exciting live experience.  Having  DJ Lord and Khari Wynn in the band, however, does.  DJ Lord put on an absolute exhibition on the turntables while Wynn offered guitar thrills on the other side of the stage that toughened and elevated the sonic stew.

Another track on It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Prophets of Rage gives its name to  the group that Chuck D formed last year with B-Real from Cypress Hill and three quarters of Rage Against The Machine: Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk! Seeing those guys at The Apollo promises to be wicked.  

Go to #3 artist Rakim

The News: Rakim has been celebrating the 30th anniversary of Paid In Full by performing the album in its entirety.  The enduring power of the album was remarked upon with some love in the New York Times recently.

So I collect my cash then slide, I got my back, my gun’s on my side… It shouldn’t have to be like that, I guess it ain’t where you’re from it’s where you’re at                       – Eric B & Rakim from In The Ghetto off Paid In Full

As Rakim said late night backstage at BB Kings last summer,  Paid In Full was the album that gave people their first impression of him as an artist. When the debut from Eric B & Rakim came out in the summer of 1987, it made enough of an impression that on consecutive nights in the summer of 2016, fans packed a sweaty BB Kings Club in Times Square to capacity to hear him perform it in its entirety.   Some of them were waving vinyl copies of it in hoping for a moment with the man who has earned the most honorable of handles, The God MC.

One can’t overstate the impact of the album and the artist who grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island.  It was an evolutionary step for hip hop that, like the debut albums by fellow New Yorkers The Velvet Underground and The Ramones, made more of an impact with future artists than the general public.  That’s not to say it wasn’t commercially successful; it was but in a modest way.  As Rakim himself pointed out in our conversation, he was underground.  Artists who may have eclipsed him in terms of record sales or radio play, Biggie and Tupac and Eminem and Jay Z among them, have pointed to Rakim as a point of departure.

In the bonus vid below, Rakim speaks further about his lyrical content on Paid In Full and elsewhere as well as his relationship to jazz…

Go to #4 artist Living Colour

The News: Talib Kweli unleashed a new single on his site She’s My Hero this week and will play a DJ set at Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday, October 26th.

As anyone vaguely aware of Talib Kweli knows, the man can spit with the best of ’em and arguably offers more thought-provoking words per song than anyone in the game.  The lyrics of Palookas from 2011’s Gutter Rainbows – “You ain’t gotta verse better than my worse one” – would sound like empty boasting from just about anybody else.

Kweli put on an exhibition at the Highline Ballroom in February as he wrapped up a sixteen date tour introducing his  album with Styles P called The Seven.  Kweli made his first mark in ’98 with the potent Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star and he reached back to that album during the set for K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self).  It’s been a great ride since and as the artist has taken more control of all aspects of record-making and its subsequent promotion, he’s entered an especially fruitful period.

One misconception about the BK MC is that he doesn’t vote so I asked him, in the aftermath of the recent election, to clarify his position.  In fact he does vote when he views it as meaningful as he explains in the video below featuring bonus bits of the conversation we had backstage at the Highline Ballroom after the show on Friday, February 10th.  (It also includes remarks about the mixtape that came out last year Awful People Are Great At Parties and  how he and Styles inject culture into their music.)  Not only does Kweli vote, he’s been to the White House and conferred with President Obama!  He spoke about that, his old Black Star bandmate Yasiin Bey – formerly known as Mos Def – and a handful of other issues in an interview with the UK online platform Acton Entertainment also embedded below…

Go to #9 Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

As anyone vaguely aware of Talib Kweli knows, the man can spit with the best of ’em and arguably offers more thought-provoking words per song than anyone in the game.  The lyrics of Palookas from 2011’s Gutter Rainbows – “You ain’t gotta verse better than my worse one” – would sound like empty boasting from just about anybody else.

Kweli put on an exhibition at the Highline Ballroom earlier this month as he wrapped up a sixteen date tour introducing his forthcoming album with Styles P called The Seven.  Kweli made his first mark in ’98 with the potent Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star and he reached back to that album during the set for K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self).  It’s been a great ride since and as the artist has taken more control of all aspects of record-making and its subsequent promotion, he’s entered an especially fruitful period.

One misconception about the BK MC is that he doesn’t vote so I asked him, in the aftermath of the recent election, to clarify his position.  In fact he does vote when he views it as meaningful as he explains in the video below featuring bonus bits of the conversation we had backstage at the Highline Ballroom after the show on Friday, February 10th.  (It also includes remarks about the mixtape that came out last year Awful People Are Great At Parties and  how he and Styles inject culture into their music.)  Not only does Kweli vote, he’s been to the White House and conferred with President Obama!  He spoke about that, his old Black Star bandmate Yasiin Bey – formerly known as Mos Def – and a handful of other issues in an interview with the UK online platform Acton Entertainment also embedded below…

Alway a pleasure to catch Styles who I had a chance to interview recently and K’Valentine was fab too.  She is one to watch!

Return Of The Lox – New Album Filthy America…It’s Beautiful Out Now 12-28-16

Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Jadakiss have been flirting with the possibility of a full-on reformation of The Lox for a few years and the release of Filthy America…It’s Beautiful this month closes the deal.  The tracks deliver tough street reporting and timely observations and includes cameos by Mobb Deep and Fetty Wap.  Gucci Mane appears on the wicked Secure The Bag that closes the record.  

This is the first full-on album from the Yonkers trio since We Are The Streets in 2000 and only the third since their debut Money, Power, and Respect hit in 1998.  The opening salvo came three years ago with The Trinity EP that made it clear The L-O-X were back in business.  That was followed by The Trinity 2nd and 3rd Sermons in late 2014 setting the stage for appearances this year as part of the Bad Boy 20th Anniversary Tour. The final step was signing with Jay Z’s Roc Nation.  The interview took place at Roc Nation’s sexy offices on Broadway a few blocks south of Times Square.

Camaraderie and rivalry may be equal parts in The Lox recipe.  When I suggested the three brought out the best in each other, Sheek said he wanted to beat both of his mates’ lyrics but ultimately it was the three of them going against the world.  Styles compared their collaboration to a basketball team, “It’s all about the win for the team but there’s nothing wrong with being the MVP…but don’t be mad when your brother gets the MVP.”  

The release of What Happens this summer that addressed the deaths of black men at the hands of police can now be looked at as more of a one-off than a preview of the new disc.  Styles made it clear that the new album is not political despite its name.  Here’s a bonus interview bit in which he explains the title of Filthy America…It’s Beautiful.

Gorgeous Gift Boxes For 2016 Holidays – December 6, 2016

Another year almost in the books and a fine crop of holiday box sets has emerged.   These creatively and lovingly packaged collections are anchored by knob turning prowess that has this timeless music sounding better than ever. 

The Bad Boy box, curated by label head Harve Pierre, is comparatively bare bones.  Its makers eschewed oversized packaging and souvenirs while delivering a definitive history of the influential label founded by Sean Puff Daddy Combs.  You get five discs and a good little book that tells you crucial information on the eighty tracks presented and an essay by Michael Gonzalez.  The set leaves no doubt to Bad Boy’s hip hop legacy while making a case for the R&B artists on the roster as well.

How did the Badmotorfinger album swell to a seven disc collection!  It’s overkill of course but, with a box fronted by a battery powered spinning logo, it’s hard not to be endeared to this kind of indulgence.  As with the Soundgarden, the Temple Of The Dog 25th anniversary is being celebrated with various formats and levels of frivolity.  Regardless of how nuts you want to go, a pair of outstanding albums worthy of the attention.

Entombed in some kind of super sexy case that if pleasing to the touch, you can choose between sixteen Lou Reed CDs or six albums.  The CD set covers 1972 to 1986 beginning with his first self-titled effort after leaving The Velvet Underground album and ending with Mistrial.  This period includes some of the material Reed is best known for as well as some that will be of interest only to hard core fans.  Exhibit A in the latter category being Metal Machine Music.  However, when considering an artist of Lou Reed’s stature, I’m thrilled to have copies of relatively lesser titles like Growing Up In Public and Legendary Hearts that were meticulously remastered by the man himself.  On the vinyl front, arguably the most essential half dozen albums of the Aritsta/RCA era are offered in a box encouragingly titled Volume One: Transformer, Berlin, The Blue Mask, Coney Island Baby, Street Hassle, and Rock n Roll Animal.

Lastly, one can only marvel at the tremendous trove that is Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-1972.  It sets a new standard for luxury in a box set while offering a fascinating, multi-dimensional experience that shows the pre Dark Side evolution of Roger Waters and pals.  It’s glorious!

Masta Killa Talks Future Of Wu Tang Clan

It was this month in 1993 that the Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers) album was released catapulting the Staten Island based collective to the forefront of the hip hop world.  This month, November 2016, sees a reissue of the disc on seven inch records that includes a ‘bloody version’ of Protect Ya Neck.

On October 2, 2016 The Roots sent a love letter to New York and backed Nile Rogers, David Byrne, and the indomitable Wu Tang Clan at Bryant Park as part of the first ever Roots Picnic NYC.  For the first time in who knows how long; RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Cappadonna, and Master Killa appeared together on stage in New York City.   It was the full complement of members with the exception of Ghostface Killah – who may be crucial if another album is to materialize – and of course, Ol’ Dirty Bastard who died in 2004.  When I asked Masta Killa how long it had been since a full on Wu Tang Clan show like this had gone down in the five boroughs, he said “It’s been a minute!”

It was a memorable event and one that satisfied a certain jones for the Wu while at the same time whetting a collective appetite for more of the nine man crew.  Will we get it?  Well, it’s complicated…

Masta Killa was generous enough to sit down with me at The Log Cabin – the lovely recording studio in midtown Manhattan – and talk about the gig with The Roots and how he sees the future as well as flashing back to key moments that led to his joining Wu Tang Clan.  He also spoke candidly about the last pair of albums: A Better Tomorrow and Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.  The latter was partially released recently by a certain despicable individual after another despicable individual won an election.  The latter bits are in the bonus video below which also includes him giving an explanation of his name.  Masta Killa also promised his long awaited Loyalty Is Royalty album will be unleashed in early ’17.

I stumbled upon Black Violin at SXSW last year and have been a fan ever since. The mad instrumentation of two fiddles, a drummer, and a turntablist creates a unique template on which to build songs. Hip hop and classical music are the genres most easily identified when sampling BV but they are adept at seamlessly incorporating elements from across the musical spectrum.

Kev Marcus who playes violin and Wil B who playes viola, both grew up in Florida and met in high school. Their musical partnership began to bear fruit as far back as eleven years ago when they won the Showtime At The Apollo competition. They recorded a self-titled album in 2008 followed with Classically Trained in 2012 and Stereotypes last year.

Black Violin will return to New York City on Saturday to open the fall season of festivities at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College.

First Ever Roots Picnic NYC Is Happening 10-1 & 10-2

This upcoming weekend’s festivities also involve many stars but will not allow non-musicians on stage. The Roots were in wicked form in July at one of my fave annual events – the Lowdown Hudson Music Festival.
 ROOTS PICNIC: NYC AT BRYANT PARK
Line up below subject to change.
OCTOBER 1
The Roots
D’Angelo
John Mayer
X Ambassadors
Kevin Gates
Jeremih
Stretch & Bobbitto
Everyday People feat DJ Moma
Comedy Set from Jerrod Carmichael
DJ Questlove
Lady Leshurr
Emily Wells
Chargaux
SMSHNG HRTS
Chill Moody

OCTOBER 2
The Roots
Wu Tang Clan
David Byrne
Nile Rodgers
Trombone Shorty
Swizz Beatz
Deerhoof
EPMD
Black Thought Live Mixtape featuring Styles P x Royce da 5 x Freddie Gibbs and DJ J Period
Echosmith
Lil Uzi Vert
Daniel Bambatta Marley
Yuna
Comedy Set from Neal Brennan
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Grits & Biscuits
Bibi Bourelly